Gun control

By Nancy Murdoch, Havelock

Published: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 01:33 PM.

After the terrible tragedy in Connecticut the left could hardly wait to start talking about gun control. But rational people who look at the facts know gun control is not the solution. In fact, two places in the United States, Chicago and Washington, D.C., have very strict gun laws but they lead the country in murders. And while Bob Costas attacks the “gun culture,” he fails to mention that other countries with strict gun laws still have random acts of violence by crazy individuals. Remember the attack in Norway last year when dozens were killed, many of them children?

Guns have been a part of our society since the beginning. In fact, at one time guns could be found in almost every household, but we had few of these random acts of violence which have occurred in the last 25 years or so. To target guns or certain guns as the problem is extremely short sighted, and only soothes the emotions of the nation that something is being done. There are plenty of gun laws on the books already, and Connecticut had its share of serious ones. The guns used were legal, but not the property of the killer. Guns are the easy weapon of choice, but would one prefer machetes or bombs? Crazed individuals will find a weapon if that is their intent.

It would serve the nation much better if we actually profiled those individuals who have gone on these bloody rampages against the innocents in their communities. They are the ones responsible, not guns. If we start with Columbine and continue to Connecticut we find all these shooters were young white males under the age of 30. All appear to be mentally unstable, and a number come from dysfunctional families.

It’s not easy for some people to function in a culture saturated with violence. It’s extremely more difficult for the mentally unstable, many of whom are taking hallucinogenic drugs in attempts to deal with their instability. The basis of society, the family, is under siege. Broken families are the norm rather than the exception, and single parent households are in abundance. Children have few good role models, and are exposed to violence, sex, disgusting music, drugs and aberrant behavior at an early age. Many have never entered a place of worship. Their lives seem meaningless and confusing. The culture can only be changed by individuals who refuse to participate in a vulgar, selfish lifestyle that promotes violence, easy abortion and casual sex. Many of these things are contributing factors.

The mental health situation in this country needs close examination. Parents, caregivers and school personnel need to start taking note of those who seem to be on the edge. After a tragic event occurs, it’s too late to get the individual the help he needs. The ACLU as fought against involuntary commitment to hospitals for the mentally unstable, but it might be time to revisit that scenario in an effort to protect society.

As for the Second Amendment, we need to remember that governments that have disarmed their people have killed more people than all the nutcases combined. In fact, it’s not even close. As sad as it is, safety and security are not a guarantee in life. As individuals we must do what is necessary to provide as much security for ourselves as feasible, and demand our schools do the same for our children. But banning certain guns is putting a band-aid on a much more serious problem. We are fooling ourselves if we think it will change anything.

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After the terrible tragedy in Connecticut the left could hardly wait to start talking about gun control. But rational people who look at the facts know gun control is not the solution. In fact, two places in the United States, Chicago and Washington, D.C., have very strict gun laws but they lead the country in murders. And while Bob Costas attacks the “gun culture,” he fails to mention that other countries with strict gun laws still have random acts of violence by crazy individuals. Remember the attack in Norway last year when dozens were killed, many of them children?

Guns have been a part of our society since the beginning. In fact, at one time guns could be found in almost every household, but we had few of these random acts of violence which have occurred in the last 25 years or so. To target guns or certain guns as the problem is extremely short sighted, and only soothes the emotions of the nation that something is being done. There are plenty of gun laws on the books already, and Connecticut had its share of serious ones. The guns used were legal, but not the property of the killer. Guns are the easy weapon of choice, but would one prefer machetes or bombs? Crazed individuals will find a weapon if that is their intent.

It would serve the nation much better if we actually profiled those individuals who have gone on these bloody rampages against the innocents in their communities. They are the ones responsible, not guns. If we start with Columbine and continue to Connecticut we find all these shooters were young white males under the age of 30. All appear to be mentally unstable, and a number come from dysfunctional families.

It’s not easy for some people to function in a culture saturated with violence. It’s extremely more difficult for the mentally unstable, many of whom are taking hallucinogenic drugs in attempts to deal with their instability. The basis of society, the family, is under siege. Broken families are the norm rather than the exception, and single parent households are in abundance. Children have few good role models, and are exposed to violence, sex, disgusting music, drugs and aberrant behavior at an early age. Many have never entered a place of worship. Their lives seem meaningless and confusing. The culture can only be changed by individuals who refuse to participate in a vulgar, selfish lifestyle that promotes violence, easy abortion and casual sex. Many of these things are contributing factors.

The mental health situation in this country needs close examination. Parents, caregivers and school personnel need to start taking note of those who seem to be on the edge. After a tragic event occurs, it’s too late to get the individual the help he needs. The ACLU as fought against involuntary commitment to hospitals for the mentally unstable, but it might be time to revisit that scenario in an effort to protect society.

As for the Second Amendment, we need to remember that governments that have disarmed their people have killed more people than all the nutcases combined. In fact, it’s not even close. As sad as it is, safety and security are not a guarantee in life. As individuals we must do what is necessary to provide as much security for ourselves as feasible, and demand our schools do the same for our children. But banning certain guns is putting a band-aid on a much more serious problem. We are fooling ourselves if we think it will change anything.